This invention relates to hemostats, and particularly to an apparatus for providing hemostatic pressure to substantially all portions of the nasal cavity.
At present, a plurality of guaze cylinders are forced into the nasal cavity, one after another, until sufficient pressure is created to provide a type of nasal hemostat. Such a procedure is extremely awkward, time consuming and painful. In addition, the guaze cylinders frequently fail to apply pressure to the specific blood vessels which have been ruptured. More recently, a type of balloon has been employed to expand in the nasal cavity for the same purpose. While this procedure is less time consuming and painful, it also is often ineffectual in applying hemostatic pressure to the specific blood vessels which have been ruptured.
Even more recently, nasal tampons, formed of a compressed cellulose material which expands upon contact with fluids, have been employed to attempt to solve the problem of applying appropriate hemostatic pressure. These tampons, however, operate in a manner similar to the balloon in frequently failing to apply hemostatic pressure to the ruptured blood vessels.
In addition, all of these prior apparatus and methods block the nasal cavity, thus forcing the patient to breathe through his mouth. This produces dryness of the tongue and throat, and frequently cracking of the lips and tongue. Nasal breathing, on the other hand, is more physiological and less disquieting to the patient. Furthermore, nasal breathing has been found to be much more efficient due to the back pressure created during exhaling through the nose.
I have discovered that the reason for the failure of these prior art methods and apparatus to satisfactorily stop nasal bleeding is their inability to apply hemostatic pressure to substantially all portions of the nasal cavity, including the blood vessels which are hidden in cavities underneath protruding bones. Thus, the invention described and shown herein is contoured to apply hemostatic pressure to all areas of the nasal cavity, including such normally hidden cavities, while at the same time allowing the patient to breathe through his nose.